Category: Democracy

By Carl Boggs

In a strong new ebook, Boggs lines the old evolution of yankee politics through targeting the sluggish triumph of company and army strength over democratic associations and practices. the results of increasing usa worldwide presence on the grounds that international struggle II--involving an built-in and interwoven process of energy dependent within the everlasting struggle economic climate, nationwide security-state, and company interests--has intended erosion of democratic politics, strengthening of the imperial presidency, elevated company and armed forces impression over elections and laws, weakening of well known governance, and diminution of citizenship. The occasions of 11th of September and their aftermath, together with the struggle on Terror, long wars and international occupations, new threats of struggle, and big raises in Pentagon spending, have basically deepened the fad towards ever-more targeted sorts of energy in a society that ostensibly embraces democratic values. Such advancements, Boggs argues, have deep origins in American historical past going again to the founding records, ideological precepts of the structure, early oligarchic rule, slavery, the Indian wars, and westward colonial enlargement.

This quantity analyses how using referendums impacts the valuable capabilities and features of consultant democracy. It offers a balanced account of the interplay among referendums and consultant associations and actors, looking to review no matter if referendums complement or undermine consultant democracy. contemplating either normative and empirical questions, the amount additionally examines the actual conditions below which referendums improve or weaken consultant democracy.

Providing a number of theoretical and methodological methods utilized in the examine of referendums, this e-book is split into 3 sections: Referendums and the versions of Democracy, The call for of Referendums: get together Ideologies and techniques, and Referendum Campaigns and Voter Behaviour. It gains case reviews on eire, Israel, Canada, California, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Nordic nations, the Netherlands, Spain and the ecu Constitutional Treaty. as well as system-level reviews of referendums, reviews at the ideological attitudes of political actors and strategic use of referendums, the quantity additionally offers analyses of referendum campaigns and electorate’ offerings in referendums. protecting referendums on eu integration, the quantity additionally demonstrates how supra-national governance offers upward thrust to the call for of referendums.

This quantity may be of curiosity to scholars and students of political technological know-how, political concept, comparative politics, and eu experiences.

By Raymond Wacks

This vigorous and obtainable advent to the social, ethical, and cultural foundations of legislations takes a huge scope-- spanning philosophy, legislations, politics, and economics, and discussing various issues together with women's rights, racism, the surroundings, and up to date overseas matters akin to the struggle in Iraq and the therapy of terror suspects. Revealing the exciting and difficult nature of felony philosophy with readability and exuberance, Raymond Wacks explores the concept of legislation and its position in our lives. relating key thinkers from the classical global to the trendy, he appears on the vital questions in the back of felony concept that experience continuously interested legal professionals and philosophers, in addition to somebody who ever puzzled approximately law's relation to justice, morality, and democracy.

About the sequence: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and elegance, Very brief Introductions supply an advent to a couple of life's finest subject matters. Written by means of specialists for the newcomer, they show the best modern pondering the significant difficulties and concerns in thousands of key subject matters, from philosophy to Freud, quantum thought to Islam.

By David Runciman

Why do democracies hold lurching from luck to failure? the present monetary challenge is simply the newest instance of the way issues proceed to move fallacious, simply while it seemed like they have been going correct. during this wide-ranging, unique, and compelling ebook, David Runciman tells the tale of contemporary democracy throughout the heritage of moments of hindrance, from the 1st international struggle to the commercial crash of 2008.

A worldwide historical past with a different specialise in the us, The self assurance Trap examines how democracy survived threats starting from the nice melancholy to the Cuban missile obstacle, and from Watergate to the cave in of Lehman Brothers. It additionally appears on the confusion and uncertainty created by way of unforeseen victories, from the defeat of German autocracy in 1918 to the defeat of communism in 1989. all through, the e-book can pay shut recognition to the politicians and thinkers who grappled with those crises: from Woodrow Wilson, Nehru, and Adenauer to Fukuyama and Obama.

In The self assurance Trap, David Runciman exhibits that democracies are sturdy at getting better from emergencies yet undesirable at fending off them. The lesson democracies are likely to research from their error is they can live on them--and that no obstacle is as undesirable because it turns out. Breeding complacency instead of knowledge, crises bring about the harmful trust that democracies can clutter via anything--a self belief capture that can result in a concern that's simply too sizeable to flee, if it hasn't already. the main critical demanding situations confronting democracy this present day are debt, the conflict on terror, the increase of China, and weather switch. If democracy is to outlive them, it needs to work out how to holiday the arrogance trap.

By Hooman Majd

"One of America's so much astute revealers of Iranian tradition and identity."-Reza Aslan, The Atlantic

Hailed as one of many year's top overseas coverage books, Hooman Majd's newest deals dramatic standpoint on a rustic with worldwide objectives, an intricate political tradition, and regulations with huge, immense implications for global peace. Drawing on privileged entry to the Iranian strength elite, Majd "gives a harrowing description of the aftermath of the 2009 presidential elections in Iran" (Haleh Esfandiari). This "nimble tackle Iran's fraught political panorama" (Kirkus Reviews) "sounds a dire caution to these within the West who desire a democratic Iran. . . . allow us to wish the President is listening" (Reza Aslan, The Atlantic).

By Gerald F Gaus

`The writer has supplied us with a masterful evaluation and critique of liberal theorizing of the earlier quarter-century. whereas dealing exhaustively and reasonably with every one of quite a few widely liberal techniques, Gaus additionally offers a compelling argument for his personal hottest "justificatory" technique. His analyses variety throughout commonly used territory - Berlin, Gauthier,

Baier, Habermas, social selection idea, Rawls, etc - and are always

illuminating and, taken jointly, supply either the newcomer and the old-hand a lot to reflect on' - Fred D'Agostino, collage of latest England, Armidale

`[A]ll that guy is and all that increases him above animals he owes to his cause' - Ludwig von Mises

Contemporary Theories of Liberalism presents scholars with a entire evaluation of the most important tenets of liberalism constructed via Hobbes, Locke, Kant and Rawls to offer day theories and debates.

Central to contemporary debate has been the belief of public cause. The textual content introduces and explores seven dominant theories of public cause, specifically, pluralism, Neo-Hobbesianism, pragmatism, deliberative democracy, political democracy, Rawlsian political liberalism and justificatory liberalism.

As a proponent of justificatory liberalism, Gaus offers an obtainable and important research of all contempoary liberal political idea and powerfully illustrates the distinctive and importsant contribution of justificatory liberalism.

Contemporary Theories of Liberalism is vital analyzing for college kids and teachers looking a deeper knowing of liberal political concept today.

Public officers, reporters and usual voters usually use phrases like "tragedy" and "tragic" whilst attempting to make feel of burdensome occasions and painful setbacks. Political theorists and philosophers have lengthy used the instance of Greek tragedy and notions of the tragic to mirror at the nature and value of democracy in sleek existence. Pirro bargains the way to comprehend the deep connections among those doubtless disparate and unconnected discourses of tragedy. these connections are to be chanced on, he argues, within the interdependent dating among tragedy and democracy, which first manifested itself within the democratic polis of old Athens. The ebook considers how tragedy has been used to advertise democratic activism, foster civic unity in instances of democratic transition, and shape a feeling of nationwide id. Written in an obtainable demeanour and drawing upon political speeches, journalistic reviews, works of renowned movie and literature, and educational writings, The Tragedy of Politics unearths the tragic understandings that shape the middle of a few very important modern visions of democracy.

By David Graeber

A daring rethinking of the main strong political proposal within the world—democracy—and the tale of ways radical democracy can but remodel America
 
Democracy has been the yank faith in view that earlier than the Revolution—from New England city halls to the multicultural democracy of Atlantic pirate ships. yet can our present political procedure, person who turns out responsive basically to the wealthiest between us and leaves such a lot americans feeling disengaged, unvoiced, and disenfranchised, particularly be referred to as democratic? And if the instruments of our democracy will not be operating to resolve the emerging crises we are facing, how can we—average citizens—make switch happen?
 
David Graeber, probably the most influential students and activists of his iteration, takes readers on a trip in the course of the thought of democracy, provocatively reorienting our realizing of pivotal ancient moments, and extracts their classes for today—from the beginning of Athenian democracy and the founding of the us of the USA to the worldwide revolutions of the 20th century and the increase of a brand new iteration of activists. Underlying all of it is a bracing argument that during the face of more and more focused wealth and tool during this kingdom, a reenergized, reconceived democracy—one in keeping with consensus, equality, and large participation—can but offer us with the simply, loose, and reasonable society we want.
 
The Democracy undertaking tells the tale of the resilience of the democratic spirit and the adaptability of the democratic notion. It deals a clean tackle important historical past and an impassioned argument that radical democracy is, greater than ever, our greatest hope.

Praise for David Graeber’s Debt
 
“A sprawling, erudite, provocative work.”—Drake Bennett, Bloomberg Businessweek
 
“Written in a brash, enticing type, the booklet can also be a philosophical inquiry into the character of debt—where it got here from and the way it evolved.”—The big apple occasions booklet Review
 
“Fresh . . . interesting . . . thought-provoking [and] awfully timely.”—Financial Times
 
“The e-book is extra readable and pleasing than i will be able to point out. . . . Graeber is a scholarly researcher, an activist and a public highbrow. His box is the entire background of social and financial transactions.”—Peter Carey, The Observer
 
“One of the year’s such a lot influential books. Graeber situates the emergence of credits in the upward push of sophistication society, the destruction of societies in keeping with ‘webs of mutual dedication’ and the consistently implied probability of actual violence that lies at the back of all social relatives in keeping with money.”—Paul Mason, The Guardian
 
“Part anthropological background and half provocative political argument, it’s an invaluable corrective to what passes for modern dialog approximately debt and the economy.”—Jesse Singal, The Boston Globe
 
“Terrific . . . within the most sensible anthropological culture, he is helping us reset our daily principles by way of exploring background and different civilizations, then boomeranging again to render our personal global unusual, and extra open to change.”—Raj Patel, The Globe and Mail

By C. B. Macpherson